Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a single-engined two seat turret fighter which entered service with the R.A.F. in 1939. Always designed and intended for the role of an interceptor or bomber-destroyer, the Defiant had some success when it encountered unescorted bombers such as over Dunkirk. During the Battle of Britain, however, it was outmatched when it met single-seat fighters and was quickly withdrawn as a day fighter. From then into 1941, it was employed as a night fighter, with a Mk II being equipped with airborne radar. Here it made a useful contribution before being replace in the role by the Beaufighter and Mosquito. From 1942 onwards, Defiants continued in service, although not in combat roles, performing useful duties such as air-sea rescue, electronics warfare and as a target tug. The Defiant and the works of W. E. Johns The Defiant forms part of the complement of Biggles' squadron in Biggles Sweeps the Desert, together with Spitfires and a Whitley bomber also used as a transport. According to Biggles, he had specifically asked for one because he felt a two-seater might come in useful. The Defiant was used whenever there is a need to ferry more than one person from point to point although it was also used in air combat. Biggles sent Angus in Defiant to airlift General Demaurice from Salima Oasis to Wadi Halfa. Coming back, Angus was in time to join in the defence of Salima against an attack by von Zoyton's Messerschmitts. Angus' gunner, a corporal who had volunteered to come along from Wadi Halfa, successfully shot down a German fighter although he was himself mortally wounded. Later, Algy flew Biggles and Ginger to Wadi Umbo (quite a squeeze!) where they dropped in by parachute in order to rescue the British prisoners there. Towards the end of the book, the Defiant was flown by Taffy Hughes and Ferocity Ferris in an air battle in defence of Salima. The Defiant itself was damaged and the crew baled out but it had also shot down a enemy Messerschmitt. Was the Defiant the Reliant? The Defiant might also be conjectured as the "Reliant" so much used by Worrals and Frecks but the textual evidence makes this implausible. See the article of the Reliant for details. Coult the Defiant carry three Could the Defiant carry three, such as when Algy used it to paradrop Biggles and Ginger in ''Sweeps the Desert"? A study of the Pilot's Notes (AP1592B) reveals that one of the prescribed emergency exits for the gunner was to rotate the turret fully forward. The gunner then crawled through into a space in the fuselage aft of the turret and then exited by a service hatch in the floor of the aircraft. This space in the fuselage might have fitted a third person and the hatch itself could have been used when it came time for Biggles and Ginger to jump out. Specifications *Crew: two: pilot, gunner *Length: 35 ft 4 in (10.77 m) *Wingspan: 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m) *Empty weight: 6,078 lb (2,763 kg) *Max. takeoff weight: 8,600 lb (3,909 kg) *Engine: 1 Rolls-Royce Merlin III liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,030 hp *Maximum speed: 304 mph (264 knots, 489 km/h) at 17,000 ft (5,180 m) *Cruise speed: 175 mph (152 knots, 282 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,570 m) *Range: 465 mi (404 nmi, 749 km) *Service ceiling: 31,000 ft54 (9,250 m) *Guns: 4 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in hydraulically powered dorsal turret External links *wikipedia: Boulton Paul Defiant Category:Aircraft Category:Actual aircraft Category:Aircraft (canonical works)